Johan August Arfwedson

discovery of lithium

Discovered in 1817 by Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson in the mineral petalite, lithium is also found in brine deposits and as salts in mineral springs; its concentration in seawater is 0.1 part per million (ppm). Lithium is also found in pegmatite ores, such as spodumene (LiAlSi2O6) and lepidolite (of varying structure), or in amblygonite (LiAlFPO4) ores,...

research in alkali metals

Lithium was discovered by the Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson in 1817 while analyzing the mineral petalite. The name lithium is derived from lithos, the Greek word for “stony.” The element was not isolated in pure form until Davy produced a minute quantity by the electrolysis of lithium chloride.